


Phantom

by BWaves



Series: Joy and Owen [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: I know basically nothing about the realities of phantom limb, amputee character, phantom limb - Freeform, this is based solely on my internet research
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 11:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15685008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BWaves/pseuds/BWaves
Summary: Despite how long he’s been without legs, every now and then Joy’s brain seems to forget.





	Phantom

The day was going well, they had covered three cool places in one day, Mount Rushmore, this neat little shack in the black hills full of optical illusions, and riding a fancy steam train. It had been a long day, but a fun one, and Owen helped Joy pick out keychains at each place. Everything was great until they got in the car to head to a hotel for the night, and Joy started to look visibly uncomfortable with something, even in pain.

Owen tried to ask what was wrong, but Joy wouldn’t tell him, just kept waving it off as nothing, but it seemed to get gradually worse the later it got. They stopped for food before going to the hotel and settling in, and Joy hardly touches his food, much to Owen’s dismay. It’s unlike him because Joy usually eats petty quick, the guy loves food after all.

Owen watches him for a while, until he’s finished his own food. Joy seems to take his lead, closing his own box of over priced Chinese food and pushing it away.

“I don’t believe that it’s nothing,” Owen points out, and gets a glare in return, “I just want to know if I can help any?” Owen reaches over, putting his hand on Joy’s shoulder and frowning when he pulls away, “Please?”

Joy stares at his lap for a moment, he crosses his arms to hug himself and he eventually sighs after Owen stares long enough. “It’s… please don’t laugh.”

“I won’t, I swear.”

“My legs hurt.” Joy mumbles, turning a little to look at Owen, who just raised an eyebrow.

“Is that… I mean, we did walk a lot today. I would have been more surprised if you weren’t sore, Hell my legs hurt, and I-“

“It’s my knees.”

“Oh.” Owen stares at him for a moment, then glances down to where Joys knees would be, if he had any. “But-“

“I don’t have knees, yes, I’m aware of that. It’s called phantom limb, sometimes my body and my brain stop coordinating properly and my brain decides that I need to feel pain in parts of me that don’t exist anymore, there’s basically nothing we can do about it, I just have to bear with it.” Joy lays down with a flop, rolling to his side with his back facing Owen.

Owen stares at it for a beat, reaches over with some reassurance on the tip of his tongue but he thinks better. There’s no way he can really understand what Joy is going through right now, so Owen leaves him be for the time being. Meanwhile, he gets his phone and starts doing some research on the whole phantom limb thing. 

After an entire episode of Mythbusters, Owen is no closer to finding a way to help, and Joy doesn’t seem to be any better. Owen doesn’t really know how to help, but he definitely wants to try helping, even if it’s just distracting Joy from the pain.

He reaches over and he touches his arm again, “Can I try something?” He asks, and Joy watches him for a moment, thinking it over, before sighing, and nodding.

“If it’ll make you feel better, then fine.” He mumbles, and he waves a hand at Owen.

“Thanks,” Owen smiles a little, and he scoots over to the middle of the bed, wraps his arms around Joy’s waist, pulling him onto his lap, with his chin resting on Joy’s shoulder. He holds him with one arm and pats his thighs so he’ll spread them, so that Owen’s legs are in front of him. “I read about, like, people using mirrors to help with phantom limb stuff, but you don’t have one leg and we don’t have a mirror, so just work with me here, imagine that my legs are yours.”

Joy snorts at him, and rests a hand over Owen’s where it rests on his waist, “Please, your legs could never be my legs. They’re far too tan.” Owen smiles against his shoulder, and nods, “But fine. I’ll play along.”

“Just stay in my lap.” Owen tells him, and he lets go so that he can use his hands. He rests one on Joy’s thigh, and puts the other on his own leg in the same spot, so that Joy can feel it, but he sees it on Owen’s legs.

“You know they’ve tried stuff like this before, right?” Joy tells him, but he watches the hand, and he feels the touch, and he doesn’t stop Owen.

“I mean, I bet they have, but it doesn’t hurt to try it again, right?” Owen counters, matches the movement of his two hands and turns his head a little to look at Joy when he shrugs.

“I guess,” he says softly, as he watches Owen’s hand.

Owen keeps it up for a while, he wants to make sure that Joy’s brain is good and tricked into thinking his legs are there. He eventually shifts his hand so that his fingers are running over the top of Joy’s thigh, and he slides them down until they leave Joy’s thigh, but they continue on his own, and Joy doesn’t say anything. He glances up to him, and then pinches himself in the thigh, and it makes Joy flinch, even if just a little bit. “Sorry,” he murmurs, and he just gets a soft huff in response.

He wraps his free arm around Joy’s waist again, and he gives it a few minutes. “How do your legs feel?”

“Fine,” Joy answers softly, turning his head to look at Owen, “It’s weird, because, like, I know these aren’t mine, but my monkey brain hasn’t figured it out yet. But I no longer feel like I’ve got inverted knees now.” Joy nods a little, and pats Owen’s hand. Owen hesitates, but he does let him go, turning Joy a bit so he can put him back on the bed without dropping him or anything.

Joy is staring at Owen as he pulls away, and they spend a moment like that, watching each other. Owen pulls back first, “Do you want your food back?” He asks, grabbing the styrofoam container so he can get it back to Joy’s lap. He’s stopped before he manages to put it down, by Joy grabbing his arm, and holding it so that Owen is close.

“Thank you.” Joy tells him, and he loosens his hold, he pulls away and he bites his lip, and he looks down at the box on his lap. “Just for, like, caring and shit, enough to help. I appreciate that. It was nice.” Joy nods and he opens up his food, grabbing the plastic fork in there to start eating.

Owen watches him, and he reaches up to touch his face, using a hand on his cheek to guide his eyes up, so that Joy is looking at him, “If you ever need help from me, you know you just have to ask, right? About anything, as long as we’re together. I want to make absolutely sure you get back home safe to your family after all. So if there’s ever anything you need, don’t be afraid to ask.”

Joy stares at him for a long moment, and he feels a twist in his stomach that he can’t quite place. He turns his head a bit, out of Owen’s hand, and he drops his eyes to his lap, “Yeah, uh, thanks.” He murmurs, and he focuses on his food, and not the way his heart feels like it’s beating too hard and too fast.

Owen’s hand drops to his own lap, and he watches Joy as he stuffs food into his face, and he finally grabs the remote to pick a channel. He puts on something that doesn’t require too much attention paying, How It’s Made, something they don’t have to watch, but it’s interesting no less. They don’t talk, and the silence becomes comfortable after a while.

Owen leaves him to take a shower after a couple of episodes, and when he comes back, Joy is asleep, curled up under the blankets and breathing evenly. Owen watches over him for a few minutes, making sure he really is sleeping good, before he climbs into bed on the other side and goes to sleep himself.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this and you'd like to see more, go check out joyandowen.tumblr.com where I am taking asks and requests involving these two boys.


End file.
